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Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

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Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#141

Post by stackthatcode »

lazyjones wrote: post #20

The title is slightly inaccurate / misleading. He quit his job and now runs his own business together with his girlfriend (i.e. they both work). Her part in this is not negligible, perhaps she is the main asset of the company. (I don't know why this gets modded down, but let me clarify: his old salary is his personal income. The "doubled" salary is the income from his business, apparently the combined salary of both…

Your point about having his girlfriend's labor as a huge contribution to his venture is pretty correct. I don't think it down plays his success at all... but it's certainly a significant contributor. If my wife would embrace my madcap ideas and work on them full-force, it would be quite awesome.

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#142

Post by fnordfnordfnord »

LekkoscPiwa wrote: post #27

The average age of the US farmer is 58. In Japan it is 68. There is less and less land available for agriculture. Less and less fresh water (agriculture uses 90% of fresh water in the US). The weather gets worse by the year to produce food. On the other hand there are more and more people in the world. So supply is diminishing while demand is high. That's why food is more and more expensive almost every quarter. All…

> Farmers are going to drive Maserati's in the future not successful software developers or Wall Street crowd.

Jim Rogers? http://www.jimrogersinvestments.com/2012/05/jim-rogers-farme...

edit: followed your later comments, yup.

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#143

Post by Maven911 »

silencio wrote: post #101
jasonkester wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Programming Computers For Money. Seriously, it's bordering on the most lucrative profession in the US. If "Selling Hotdogs" sounds like it might make you even 1/10 as much, you're simply not charging enough. So if you're looking for a business that doesn't involve selling your time for money, your best option is Software Product Company. Build something people need enough to pay you $50/month for it. The math works o…

> If "Selling Hotdogs" sounds like it might make you even 1/10 as much, you're simply not charging enough. Actually, my side biz is selling food. Unless you propose that I make way over a million dollars a year while contracting (no thanks to that stress)...I think my restaurant does okay. If I sunk the same amount of time in my restaurant that I did for contracting, then I'd definitely make more money with the resta…

Is that 40k a month per restaurant ?

What makes your restaurant so succesful, isn't that industry plagued with 80% shutdown wiyhin 5 years?

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#144

Post by shellehs »

jval wrote: post #140

I feel like there's a lot of articles like this, which kinda make it seem like life is easy as an entrepreneur, or that successful business just happen. I feel like this mentality is behind the explosion in early stage financings relative to late stage financings. I know that as an early stage founder that I am part of the problem, but I often stop to think about whether what I'm doing is really that valuable or if I…

Nope. See this Programmers salary report :

http://www.programmer.com.cn/14918/

CNY 3k - 5k , that means USD 400 - 800.

Nearly 1/5 programmers in China live in this salary.

What USD 500 can buy in America?

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#145

Post by shellehs »

lazyjones wrote: post #20

The title is slightly inaccurate / misleading. He quit his job and now runs his own business together with his girlfriend (i.e. they both work). Her part in this is not negligible, perhaps she is the main asset of the company. (I don't know why this gets modded down, but let me clarify: his old salary is his personal income. The "doubled" salary is the income from his business, apparently the combined salary of both…

This title could attract more traffic. Programmer is a good topic, and double salary as well.

Your point is correct. But people will ignore the key.

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#146

Post by marme »

bearwithclaws wrote: post #110

A nitpick about its translation of "Ma Nong" (码农): it doesn't mean "Number Cruncher". Although the "Ma" is the same character with "Hao Ma" (number), in describing the profession of programmer, it means "Code". "Nong" means farmer ("Nong Fu"). It implies laborious work. The closest translation to it should be "Code Farmer".

also nong(农) is the character for migrant worker(农民) which are look down upon in china as poor peasants who come to big city looking for work in manual labor jobs. So it is like calling them a code peasant or something like that. It is really meant as a self depreciating kind of insult. The character nong(农) is always used to describe someone who does menial jobs like manual labor or farming

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#147

Post by silencio »

officemonkey wrote: post #118
silencio wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I co-own a restaurant as a side job. Saving 3-6 months or more worth of emergency funds for my personal use is the trivial part. The real problem is covering everything that the insurance policies won't cover to a sufficient extent: everything from building damage (maybe the landlord takes forever to rebuild/repair) to replacing equipment and any fees to go through processes and get all kinds of permits all over agai…

Actually, after a disaster, if you have losses that aren't covered by insurance, businesses don't initially get assistance from FEMA, they apply for a low-interest loan from Small Business Administration (see: http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/loans-grant... ) instead.

Yeah, I took a shortcut when I said FEMA loans, it's not directly from FEMA but they'll help you with the SBA to get a disaster loan.

Pretty nice to have a safety net, but the government can be picky too. Many people I know got rejected for loans after the Northridge earthquake 20 years ago for trying to make a quick buck selling batteries etc. way above the regular price. FEMA people commented to my parents (they owned a small biz at the time) that they were one of the handful of businesses that didn't price gouge anyone within the area. I had no idea the government could pay so much attention to what people were doing in such a big area.

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#148

Post by makeset »

rhizome wrote: post #127
dmlorenzetti wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also annoying: the focus on money. The article basically says he wrecked his body working punishing hours, so he quit, found a girlfriend, started collaborating with her on a mutual goal, and plans to get married. Headline says "he doubled his salary!" If he doesn't care whether he's on the path to linear growth, why should we?

Nerd moves in with girlfriend, doubles household income!

"Nerd has girlfriend!"

Re: Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

#149

Post by silencio »

Maven911 wrote: post #143
silencio wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If "Selling Hotdogs" sounds like it might make you even 1/10 as much, you're simply not charging enough. Actually, my side biz is selling food. Unless you propose that I make way over a million dollars a year while contracting (no thanks to that stress)...I think my restaurant does okay. If I sunk the same amount of time in my restaurant that I did for contracting, then I'd definitely make more money with the resta…

Is that 40k a month per restaurant ? What makes your restaurant so succesful, isn't that industry plagued with 80% shutdown wiyhin 5 years?

> Is that 40k a month per restaurant ?

Yes. While I haven't actually looked at financial statements for those businesses since they were way out of my budget, I'd get the occasional listing with numbers like that. Businesses like http://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/Sushi-Restaur... - nearly $700k in earnings in one year is not bad at all.

It's up for debate how much the owner actually makes and how much of the sales goes unreported to the BOE, IRS, etc., but it's within the realm of possibility.

Alternatively, absentee-own a franchise or series of stores for similar effect: http://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/4-Unit-Five-G...

> What makes your restaurant so succesful, isn't that industry plagued with 80% shutdown wiyhin 5 years?

I can believe the failure rate is that high for brand new restaurants, but that is why you buy already established businesses instead. I also don't think that number is too strange in the context of all brand new businesses. Think of how many startups fail. Imagine if there was a market for buying and selling "matured" startups - that's basically how small business sales work. (Hopefully) all the bad ones will have died out already, the ones the owners are trying to flip as fast as possible before they die are dead obvious, and you'll maybe be left over with a few sustainable businesses to choose from.

I think the only difference between running a restaurant and starting a startup is that there is no restaurant equivalent to winning the jackpot (read: selling your startup for mega bucks) and just keeping the business in the black is the norm (although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure how a lot of startups can even dream to accomplish that...).

As for what makes my restaurant successful? My takeover may have been this year, but it's sat at the same location for decades (older than I am, even) and we have big servings and tasty fries. :D

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